Agroforestry as an Essential Tool for Sustainable Farming Systems: Cacao (Theobroma Cacao)
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The conversion of natural forests into cacao landscapes is a driver of deforestation. Biodiversity losses, greenhouse gases emission intensification, soil water pollution, depletion of soil nutrients, degradation of the environment, and constraint to income diversification are triggered by forest conversion. With this concern, an observation and research articles revision were done in the USA, Liberia, and Costa Rica to determine sustainable farming methods in mitigating the effects of natural forest conversation on the cocoa landscape. The results indicated that ecological, economic, and social dimensions of such sustainable method known as agroforestry differs on land ownership, road connectivity, extension services, access to finance, availability of research, access to market, and the rule of law. These differing parameters showed that the adoption of agroforestry as a sustainability tool for Liberia in the cocoa sector is challenging due to shifting cultivation of farming system, lack of proper data record/collection, extension services, expertise in agricultural research. But smallholder land ownership, tropical rainforest, kuu systems, and farming cooperative are opportunities. Meanwhile, Costa Rica has opportunities because of the availability of expertise in agricultural research and a better value chain. The challenges that exist are land ownership for smallholders in the cocoa landscape and effective agricultural cooperatives. Adaption for agroforestry in Missouri, USA is constraint due to mechanize and plantation farming systems but technology, advanced extension services, farming loans, and access to market are opportunities. However, because of the opportunities, cacao agroforestry should be considered as a sustainable tool for a sustainable farming system.
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